Household Safety: Preventing Injuries From Falling, Climbing, And Grabbing

By: Ambili S Kartha

All the parents of growing children know that children are just brilliant nowadays with intelligent quotient no less than any geniuses. They are always ready for seeking the pleasure no matter how challenging and impossible it is, even if it demands a jump from the cradle of double their height. They are ready to transform any place of the house to their playground. But apart from all the playful deeds, their safety is of the utmost importance to the parents because if parents are life-givers, they are lifesavers too.

In this article, we shall cover all the vital details about child safety at home and how they can be prevented from any injuries while they play.

Main Causes Of Household Injuries

According to CAPT, that is Child Accident Prevention Trust, there are five main reasons enlisted for the leading causes of injury, and they are as follows:

1. Drowning: It is one of the significant causes of a fall injury, as suggested by experts. A toddler or baby or an infant can even drown in 5 cm water depth and that too without giving any significant signs. This means uncovered toilet is more than enough for a toddler to draw.
2.  Suffocation Or Strangulation: accounts for another risk as it is commonly observed that toddlers when about to bear their milk teeth are often in the habit of sucking and licking objects whatever available to them and they are so indulged in their oral pleasure that it can even prove to be fatal and leaving any kind of chords, wires, chains can also lead to strangulation.
3. Burns: Parents being over possessed of their child’s hygiene often tends to be surrounded by hot things and that too unaware of such as hot water, hot milk without realizing that it can pose a threat too as toddlers randomly move their limbs which can lead to their spilling and can cause serious burns.
4. Falls: It is not possible to ignore the main reason for child injury that is due to manhandling by the parent sometimes, for instance, throwing the child in the air, the child playing on open terraces where there are no proper boundaries and many other situations. Walkers are another culprit. Walkers are not at all safe for a toddler.  It moves them in more momentum than they control. This will end up tripping over objects on the floor. Accidentally they may break the barriers and can fall down from the stairs.
5. Poisoning: Not in the eatables, in spite of the regularly used items such as disinfectants, laundry powders, and many others. And even when a child engulfs batteries or cells in their toys, it can bring about serious issues. Babies are more subjected to accidental poisoning.

Preventing Falls At Different Stages:

Given below are some crucial tips to be considered to prevent the falls at various stages of the baby’s life:

1. Babies:

Babies, when they start to roll over, tend to fall from the bed. To prevent this, it is highly recommended to place the mattresses on the floor. In this way, the distance to the floor is significantly minimized so that the chance of injury will be zero. Likewise, while changing babies on a table or bed, place your hand over him all the time. They may roll over the unexpected speed at least expected time.

2. Toddlers:

When a child starts crawling, he thinks that everything is his playground, and his desire to climb and walk also awakens. That means they should be checked, and that can be made sure by not leaving the child alone and not even on much height. For that, you can try cushioning all around with soft pillows that block them from climbing on small boundaries.  Block the stairs with a gate. Bookcases and furniture should be anchored to the wall so that little one cannot be able to pull it down.  Likewise, put the toys in their level rather than placing it somewhere they couldn’t reach. Or else no matter where you place it, your toddler will make all the attempts he could to climb and grab it.

3. Children:

Playing around with other children when even a mild push of another elder child can lead to serious injury.  If your child is hyper and runs around the rooms, move all the sharp-edged, breakable furniture temporarily from home.  Sometimes stealing some favorite things from height, for instance, candies and cookies often restricted by parents can also lead to serious falls that can be prevented.

Preventing Falls Around Home:

When a child starts getting acquainted with the new surroundings and gets to know about his own place Home, his first acquaintance, there arises a risk of his falls naturally. Given below are some essential places to consider preventing falls of the babies:

1. Staircases Or Steps:

Falls can be prevented really easily on steps that are parents can make sure that there are gates installed both on closing and opening ends of stairs and doorknobs should be covered, which leads to the way of staircases. Place guards on the railing if it has enough space for your little on to go through. Keep stairways plain without any objects.

2. Windows:

They are the most attractive escaping route for children. Simply double guarding the windows with iron shielding or railings will help in preventing the fall very effectively. Move other furniture away from windows so that your little one will not be able to reach windows.

3. Balconies:

Children should be avoided to visit exit points such as balconies and porches. These areas should be well locked, and children or toddlers should be strictly avoided to visit these areas without an adult.

4. Furniture :

There should be a proper installation of baby furniture all over the house. If there are high chairs, they must be fitted with a strap on. It is necessary so that the baby doesn’t have that terrible fall. Use L brackets to attach easily movable furniture to the wall so that there will be no chance of collapse over the child.

5. Bedroom:

While in the bedroom, parents should ensure that there are proper high cradles with wooden bunkers that should be there. For children above six years of age, bunker beds should be installed for them.

6. Bathrooms And Bathtubs:

The foremost safety should be that the child should never be left unattended in bathtubs or bathrooms alone.  Use nonskid floor mats, so no risk of falling is there.

Child injuries are accidental, but with proper safety measures, they can be easily prevented without much effort. Therefore, indulge in proper household safety precautions to get perfect child security.  Also, what all precautionary measures you have taken, always supervise your child around the house as much as possible.

Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/household-safety-preventing-injuries-from-falling-climbing-and-grabbing/

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